Cotton defends farm bill vote in new TV ad LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Cotton defended his vote against the farm bill in a new television ad Thursday, pushing back on an issue where Democrats are trying to cast him as out of touch with rural Arkansas. Cotton, the freshman congressman hoping to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, cites his objections to food-stamp funding included in the nearly $100 billion-a-year legislation he voted against in January. Cotto...

Arkansas' 2 US senators back plan on rebel aid LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' two U.S. senators have voted in support of President Barack Obama's request to train and arm rebels battling Islamic State militants in Syria. U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Mark Pryor voted Thursday for legislation that cleared the Senate and also provides money to keep the government operating after the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 and through Dec. 11. The measure passed the Senate on a 78-22 vote. U.S. Reps. ...

Convicted killer caught 3 months after escapeBOONEVILLE — A convicted killer who escaped an Arkansas prison three months ago was captured Thursday after officials had a confirmed sighting of the man. Timothy Buffington escaped June 21 from the Pine Bluff Unit after stealing a shotgun from a house on the prison grounds where he'd been performing janitorial work. He was found more than 150 miles away Thursday — in the same area where he was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1998 sho...

Hutchinson notes oncoming advertising onslaught LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that Arkansas residents are about to be treated to something that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire see every four years - a barrage of political advertising. Speaking to the Political Animals club in Little Rock, Hutchinson estimated that candidates up and down the ballot would spend $16 million over the next seven weeks on television and other media ads. He co...

Arkansas State won't return crosses to helmets JONESBORO (AP) — Arkansas State University said Wednesday it was wrong for the school to place crosses on the back of its football helmets as a memorial to two students, but that it will allow athletes to add their own remembrances as long as they comply with NCAA rules. Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas, law firm, had complained that Arkansas State violated its students' rights by modifying crosses intended to honor a player and equipment man...

Game and Fish Commission joins violator compact LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has joined the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact that tracks the suspension of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses across state lines. As a member of the compact, Arkansas shares violator information with other member states. The commission recognizes the suspension of hunting and fishing privileges from other member states and those states treat Arkansas residents' convictions for...

Jonesboro woman sentenced in husband's death JONESBORO (AP) — A Jonesboro woman has been sentenced to 30-years in prison for her role in the 2011 shooting death of her husband. Michelle Despain was sentenced Wednesday in Craighead County Circuit Court. Despain pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to three counts of hindering apprehension in the death of Marc Despain. She was originally charged with capital murder in the case. Michelle Despain's father — Carl Kelley — and Terrance Barker previously plea...

Grants awarded for upgrades at 8 airports LITTLE ROCK (AP) — U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman and Rep. Steve Womack have announced a total of more than $4.1 million in federal grants to eight Arkansas airports. The Federal Aviation Administration grants are to be used to support upgrades and expansions at the airports. The eight airports are the Calico Rock-Izard County Airport; Fordyce Municipal Airport; Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport; Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport;...

Cabin interior firm announces facility LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A French aircraft cabin interior manufacturer said Wednesday that it is spending $2.5 million to open a new facility in Arkansas that will initially employ 75 people. Beaudet Aviation said its new facility is adjacent to the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport and that it will supply Dassault Falcon Jet with completion work for its Falcon models. Beaudet Aviation is a subsidiary of JCB Aero. "We aspire to recreate an e...

Backers ask court to dismiss alcohol-sales lawsuit LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Backers of a measure that would legalize alcohol sales in all 75 Arkansas counties are asking the state's highest court to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to remove the proposal from the November ballot. Representatives from Let Arkansas Decide filed court papers Tuesday seeking the dismissal of the suit filed earlier this month by Citizens for Local Rights. The opponents say petitions were due on the July Fourth holiday, which fe...

Cedarville man arrested in fatal shooting CEDARVILLE (AP) — Crawford County deputies have arrested a Cedarville man on suspicion of second-degree murder in a shooting that was initially called an act of self-defense. The Southwest Times Record reported the 31-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for the Aug. 2 shooting of 41-year-old Brian Fisher. The suspect is being held at the Crawford County Detention Center on $100,000 bond. Crawford County Prosecutor Marc McCune says the suspect fa...

Pulaski County voters approve new school district JACKSONVILLE (AP) — Jacksonville and north Pulaski County voters have overwhelmingly approved the creation of a new school district. Pulaski County officials say initial results of the vote Tuesday show that nearly 96 percent of voters supported separating from the Pulaski County Special School District. About 10 schools will secede from the existing district to create the Jacksonville/North Pulaski County school district with roughly 4,000 st...

23 arrested in drug trafficking investigation LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Federal and state officials have announced the arrest of 23 people and the search for two more charged in connection with what officials say was a drug distribution ring based in Little Rock. The U.S. Attorney's Office; the FBI; and Little Rock police announced the charges and arrests Tuesday. Authorities say 20 were arrested in Little Rock; one in West Memphis; one in the Mesquite/Dallas, Texas, area; and one in Atlanta. Th...

NRA launches $1.3M ad buy for Cotton LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The National Rifle Association on Tuesday said it's launching a $1.3 million television ad campaign to promote Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, a little over a year after the group ran radio ads defending Pryor's record on guns. The NRA said the 30-second spot will begin running in Little Rock and Jonesboro starting Wednesday and will run for at least four weeks. The ad touts the gr...

Freight brokerage company to open Lowell facility LOWELL (AP) — A freight brokerage company has announced plans to open an office in Lowell in northwestern Arkansas and hire up to 50 employees. Total Quality Logistics said Tuesday that it will invest $250,000 and that hiring will begin immediately. The Cincinnati-based company says most of the jobs are sales positions. The company connects shippers who have truckload freight that needs to be moved with carriers who have the capacity to move i...

Attorney general released from hospital LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has been released from a Little Rock hospital after he was admitted a day earlier for an adverse reaction to a new medication. McDaniel was released from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on Tuesday. A day earlier, the attorney general was admitted as a precaution because the new medication had caused his blood pressure to spike. Attorney General's Office spokesman Aaro...

Sheriff says jailer fired for contact with inmate MOUNTAIN HOME (AP) — Baxter County officials have fired a female jailer who they say engaged in an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. Rose Gomez allowed an inmate charged with burglary and theft to stay at her home following his release from prison, added money to his commissary account and passed notes to him while he was being held at the Baxter County jail, according to her termination letter. On Sept. 8, a surveillance video caught...

Officials request DNA test of skeleton FULTON (AP) — Arkansas State Police are working with Louisiana forensic experts to determine if a female skeleton found on a Red River sandbar is a missing Ashdown woman. Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton told the Texarkana Gazette authorities believe the remains could be 42-year-old Janice Northcross, who has been missing since Feb. 8. Authorities say Northcross jumped or fell in the Red River near Fulton to avoid a tractor-trailer tha...

Jailers find meth in inmate's pants JONESBORO (AP) — An Arkansas inmate is facing additional jail time after guards say they found nearly $2,000 worth of methamphetamine in her pants. A Craighead County judge said Monday there is sufficient evidence to charge the 30-year-old woman with meth possession. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Craighead County Detention Center jailers say they discovered 19 grams of meth in baggies during a "shakedown." The woman told the...

Trial set in Fort Smith Freedom of Info. case FORT SMITH(AP) — A one-day trial has been scheduled in a Freedom of Information Act complaint against Fort Smith's city clerk. A complaint filed in July in Sebastian County Circuit Court alleges City Clerk Sherri Gard violated the act by individually polling board members on an issue rather than conducting the proceedings in an open meeting. The issue was about a three-year audit of the city's legal contract with a law firm. The issue was late...